Somatotype, human body shape and physique type. The term somatotype is used in the system of classification of human physical types developed by U.S. psychologist W.H. Sheldon. In Sheldon’s system, human beings can be classified as to body build in terms of three extreme body types: endomorphic, or round, fat type; mesomorphic, or muscular type; and ectomorphic, or slim, linear type. A somatotype number of three digits is determined for an individual classified by the system, with the first digit referring to endomorphy, the second to mesomorphy, and the third to ectomorphy; each digit is on a scale of 1 to 7. Hence, the extreme endomorph has the somatotype 711, the extreme mesomorph 171, and the extreme ectomorph 117. The classification numbers are negatively correlated, so that a high number in one class precludes high numbers in the others; in practice, extreme types (711, 171, 117) are rare or nonexistent, and the person of normal build has a somatotype approaching 444, evenly balanced between extremes. See alsoectomorph; endomorph; mesomorph.

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a human physical type (somatotype) tending toward linearity, as determined by the physique-classification system developed by the American psychologist W.H. Sheldon. Although classification by the Sheldon system is not absolute, a person is classed as an ectomorph if ectomorphy predominates over...

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